1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of making candles from solid wax.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The candle making art has long employed the same basic techniques of casting, dipping, or otherwise forming candles from molten wax. Besides being a somewhat messy operation, these long used techniques are relatively costly due to the amount of apparatus and skill required, the time factor, and the constant vigil which must be maintained due to the fire hazard inherent in such techniques. First of all, suitable machinery is needed for heating and maintaining the wax in a molten state and for subsequent handling of the molten wax such as pouring into molds. Secondly, large numbers of molds and suitable water and/or other refrigerating equipment as suited for the particular technique, must be used in order to achieve a worthwhile production rate due to the extensive time required to cool the wax before it can be removed from the molds and is ready for further handling such as packaging.
Further, it is difficult, if not impossible, to accurately axially center the wick within candles formed by these molten wax techniques, and wax shrinkage along with air entrapment presents problems. Heating of the wax to achieve the necessary molten state causes expansion of the wax and the intake of relatively large quantities of air. During cooling of the wax shrinkage occurs and the cooling must not be allowed to occur too rapidly or the air will be trapped or occluded within pockets or voids in the candle body.
These problems are well known in the candle making art, and some attempts have been made to do away with the need for heating and cooling of the wax to eliminate, or at least reduce, the problems associated with those basic techniques.
One such attempt is fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,885,727 issued to A. Wright on May 12, 1959. Briefly, the Wright Patent discloses the compressing of finely divided wax particles in a suitable mold to form a rudimentary candle body. A wick is placed within the mold so that the candle body is compressed around the wick. The rudimentary candle body is then compressed a second time in another mold to reduce surface flaws and to form the desired peripheral contours.
While eliminating the undesirable and expensive heating and cooling required of the molten wax candle forming techniques, the above described method of compresssing finely divided wax particles has resulted in other problems. Among these problems is the need for taking solid bulk wax and forming minute particulate wax thereof. Complex machinery and time consuming methods are needed to form the wax particles which range in size from 0.5 microns to 300 microns. Not only is the forming of the wax particles difficult and costly, but the handling thereof is difficult. Thus, the problems of forming and handling of particulate wax has played an important part in keeping such a technique from becoming widely accepted. Further, during compression molding of particulate wax, occluded air is a problem which has not been completely solved. Occluded air will form pockets within the candle body and "blow holes" can appear in the peripheral surface thereof. The two separate steps of compression disclosed in the above referenced U.S. patent are aimed at reducing the occluded air problem. However, the need for two compressing steps and the accompanying apparatus has raised the cost of such candles and has not completely resolved the problem of occluded air.
Specialized candles having additives such as coloring, scenting, deodorizing and the like, have traditionally been made by mixing the additives directly into the molten wax. This technique distributes the additives evenly throughout the entire candle body and therefore relatively large quantities of these additives must be used to obtain any degree of effectiveness. This not only raises the cost of such specialized candles, it usually results in a candle having inferior burning characteristics. This inferior quality results from the additives acting as impurities in the wax with the degree of contamination depending upon the particular additive material and the quantity. During combustion of a candle, ideal burning characteristics are achieved when the rate of wax consumption equals the rate at which the solid wax is melted into molten wax. Any additives existing within the wax are in suspension and will migrate into the pores of the wick during combustion. This action will interfere with the capillary action of the wick and will diminish or completely cut off the flow of wax and oxygen to the wick. The wick may then be extinguished either by the lack of fuel and oxygen, or by being drowned in molten wax which is not being consumed at a rapid enough rate. This excess quantity of molten wax may also cause guttering of the candle, that is, drainage of the wax down the side of the candle.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved method for making candles which eliminates some of the problems of the prior art and substantially reduces other of these problems.